Greenpeace cites ‘failed’ Copenhagen climate summit in fundraising plea

Greenpeace is highlighting what it calls the unacceptable outcome of the Copenhagen climate change talks in a year-end fundraising push.

The December summit ended with a limited, nonbinding international pact that President Obama struck with leaders of China, India and several other nations.

Advocates of advancing a Senate climate bill are nonetheless hopeful that any pledges by China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, will help convince skeptical lawmakers that the U.S. should impose limits.

But Greenpeace – which sits on the environmental movement’s left flank and alleges the major Democratic climate bills are too weak – calls Copenhagen a failure in seeking more funding for its climate change campaigns.

The appeal from Executive Director Phil Radford cites the group’s work in Copenhagen in favor of “pollution reductions called for by scientists, and not those pushed by politicians.”

It adds:

“Unfortunately world leaders, including President Obama, failed to move forward on the most threatening environmental issue of our generation. It appears that industry influence and its hold over Congress was once-again able to impede the President from making any meaningful commitment. Now is no time for inaction!”